Leonard Edward Lau was born on December 29, 1905 in Iowa, the son of Will and Sena Lau. Deaf since 18 months from measles, he graduated from the Iowa School for the Deaf in 1925 as valedictorian. He received his bachelor’s degree from Gallaudet University in 1930 and his master’s degree from Iowa State College around 1948. He was an advocate of deaf driver education and is believed to be the first deaf person to graduate from driver education classes with the intent to teach.While at Gallaudet, Lau was president of his preparatory class and was on the editorial staff of the Buff and Blue. He was a member of the Kappa Gamma fraternity and a member of the track team. He earned 25 cents an hour caring for Mrs. Hall’s garden at the President’s House on the campus. Mrs. Hall was the wife of Dr. Percival Hall, Gallaudet University’s second president.

From 1937 to 1942, Lau was a cabinetmaker at the Northern Lumber Company in Iowa. He taught industrial arts at various schools for the deaf from 1942 to 1950, including the Washington State School for the Deaf, the North Dakota School for the Deaf, the Louisiana School for the Deaf, and the West Virginia School for the Deaf. In 1950, Lau began a 20 year career as an engraver for the Bureau of Engraving in Washington, D.C., retiring in 1970. During the 1960s, Lau operated a television repair business from the basement of his Bethesda, Maryland home. He was active in deaf affairs, serving as president of the D.C. chapter of the Gallaudet University Alumni Association. He also founded the D.C. Deaf Golfers’ Association.

Upon retirement, he moved to San Diego, California, where he was the founding president of the San Diego chapter of the Gallaudet University Alumni Association in 1977. He enjoyed photography, film making, gardening, and numerous deaf activities. Lau was married to the former Ethel Koblenz ‘ 29 on May 1, 1954 and had a hearing son, Alan, who later became a professor of psychology at the Virginia Military Institute. Lau died on October 24, 1989 in San Diego following a stroke at the age of 83.